Responding to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow, the United States said it was the responsibility of any “responsible” state to oppose Russia’s actions in Ukraine. State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Wednesday that the United States had informed Pakistan of its position on the situation in Ukraine.

“We have communicated to Pakistan our position on Russia’s continued re-invasion of Ukraine, we have communicated to them our diplomatic efforts for the war,” Price told a news conference after a scheduled meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. ” Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked in Moscow.

Price added that the U.S. considers its partnership with Ukraine critical to U.S. interests.

Hours after the United States and some Western countries imposed new sanctions on Russia over its military deployment in parts of eastern Ukraine, Pakistan’s prime minister traveled to Moscow on Wednesday to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss issues including economic cooperation .

Also on the agenda are the two regions and their shared concerns in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and regional security cooperation.

Khan is the first foreign leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russian troops invaded separatist regions in eastern Ukraine amid an escalating crisis between Russia and the West. Khan’s visit to Moscow, the first by a Pakistani prime minister in 23 years, has been in the works for some time, but if it goes as planned, experts see it as Pakistan’s acquiescence to the actions of the Russian leader.

President Joe Biden earlier today imposed sanctions on the company responsible for building Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, after the company blocked such operations last year with a national security waiver.

“Today I am ordering my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its officers. These steps are another part of the first tranche of sanctions we have imposed on Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As I have made clear, if Russia continues escalate and we will not hesitate to take further steps,” Biden wrote in a statement. The move is part of a series of punitive measures the United States and its allies have imposed on Russia this week. Putin recognizes the independence of the divided region of eastern Ukraine.

On Monday, Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the separate Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Biden then announced his first sanctions against Russia and reiterated his support for Ukraine.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times